Live Happy Now

Every day we’re surrounded by sights, sounds, and smells — but we often take them for granted. This week, host Paula Felps is joined by New York Times bestselling author Gretchen Rubin, to talk about how tuning into our five senses can make us happier and healthier. Her new book, Life in Five Senses: How exploring the senses got me out of my head and into the world, takes a deep dive into what each of our senses has to teach us and explains how we can explore them to improve our well-being.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How dialing into our senses can reduce anxiety, boost productivity, and spark creativity. The connection between our senses and memories. Using our senses to stay grounded and live in the present moment.

We know that getting out in nature is good for us, but this week’s guest understands it better than most. Mya-Rose Craig is a 20-year-old bird watcher, environmentalist and diversity activist who was raised in a home that revered nature. At the age of 14, she formed the Black2Nature organization to encourage other teenagers of color to engage with nature. Bristol University awarded her an honorary doctorate for her pioneering work in this area and now her memoir, Birdgirl: Looking to the Skies in Search of a Better Future, looks at the power of nature and birds, and the important role they have played in dealing with her mother’s mental illness. In this episode, you’ll learn: What nature has taught Mya-Rose about well-being and why she’s so passionate about it. Why access to nature is so important for mental health. How her family has used birdwatching to cope with mental health challenges. 

Every year on March 20 — the International Day of Happiness — the Sustainable Development Solutions Network releases its World Happiness Report. This week, host Paula Felps sits down with Live Happy co-founder and CEO Deborah Heisz to talk about how we’re faring when it comes to happiness, what we learned from this year’s report and why it appears that our happiness is improving.  In this episode, you’ll learn: What kind of “happiness” the report is talking about and how we gauge it.  Why the U.S. is improving in happiness and what is holding us back.   How the past few years have encouraged us to become more altruistic. 

We know that pets and happiness go hand-in-hand (or maybe hand-in-paw), but did you know that your pet could also improve your brain health as you age? This week, Brittany Derrenbacher, a therapist and founder of The Healing Collective KY in Louisville, explains how pets can change how we age and help keep our brains and bodies healthy throughout our lifetime. In this episode, you’ll learn: The different ways that pets help keep us mentally sharp. What the latest research says about pet ownership and aging. How we can use our pets to create happiness for the older people in our lives.

When acclaimed jazz vocalist Allegra Levy became a parent, she began noticing that the lyrics of classic children’s songs didn’t fit in today’s world of equity and inclusion. As a mother, she was concerned about what messages children were getting from the music and as a musician, she didn’t want to raise her child with songs that had been musically “dumbed down.” So she began writing her own jazz-tinged children’s music with a positive spin on mental well-being. The result is a new album, Songs for You and Me, and in this episode she talks about the importance of experiencing music as a family. In this episode, you’ll learn: How the pandemic inspired her to rethink children’s music. Why children need to hear more inclusive music.   What parents can do to use music as a tool for learning and creativity.

Burnout is a common problem for women today, but it’s also something that isn’t openly discussed. This week’s guest, Dr. Mary Sanders, is on a mission to empower women over 40 to bounce back physically, emotionally and energetically from the stresses of balancing work and life. She’s here to talk about what burnout is, why it’s so prevalent today and how an integrative approach can help you overcome it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Some of the warning signs that you’re experiencing burnout. Why burnout is so common among women right now. How practices like meditation and mindfulness help ease the symptoms of burnout.

This week, we are celebrating International Women’s Day, which is a time to acknowledge the diversity and achievement of women. As part of that celebration, we’re talking to Texas businesswoman Linda Allen, who has made it her mission to make women feel seen by supporting them both in their careers and their personal achievements. In this episode, she explains why it’s so important for us to lift up the women around us and how it can change them — and the world they live in.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Why a single simple interaction can be so impactful. What happens when women begin to feel seen and heard. How to adjust our mindset to be more supportive of other women.

As we begin the month of March, Live Happy is celebrating with an entire month of #HappyActs. Throughout this month, we celebrate happiness with special acts each day, and on March 20, we observe the International Day of Happiness. In this episode, host Paula Felps sits down with Live Happy CEO and Founder Deborah Heisz, E-commerce Marketing Manager Casey Johnson and Marketing Manager Laura Coppedge to talk about why we are so excited about this month – and how you can be a part of it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why we celebrate #HappyActs throughout the month of March. What the International Day of Happiness is all about. How you can be a part of the #HappyActs movement.

We know that being in nature is good for us, but this week’s guest shows us how tuning into our wild side can help us connect with the earth, our emotions and our creativity. Rebecca Wildbear is creator of a yoga practice called Wild Yoga that helps us learn to listen to the earth. She explains more about it in her new book, Wild Yoga: A Practice of Initiation, Veneration & Advocacy for the Earth, and this week she’s here to tell us how deepening our connection with the earth can help us better understand ourselves. In this episode, you’ll learn: The difference between Wild Yoga and other types of yoga. What Rebecca means by “Earth Grief” and what you can do if you are experiencing it. How practicing communication and yoga in nature can change the way we feel about the world we live in.

Sav Buist and Katie Larson were shy high school students when a music education presentation brought them together — and changed their future. Ten years later, they front a trio called The Accidentals and have earned glowing album reviews while packing venues with their live shows. But because they’ve never forgotten how that high school presentation changed their lives, they also host and lead workshops across the country to inspire young musicians to find their voice and use music to improve their mental health. In this episode, they talk about how it all came together and how they are changing young lives one song at a time. In this episode, you’ll learn: The importance of music education. How music helps us process what’s hard to express.  Why it’s so important to give back to others and help them follow their dreams.